The Masked Defender
by Cherazor
Summary: With the slash of a steel blade and the mark of a "D", he defends the weak and avenges the exploited.


Okay, this wasn't exactly a planned fanfic. XD I've been on a Zorro-kick lately and began to re-watch the 1990-series the other day. And then I found out, by complete accident, that Chocolatequeen is a fan of that particular incarnation of Zorro…and I just had to.

Chocolatequeen, this is for you. I'm so sorry. XD

(I'm almost tempted to turn this into a series of connected one-shots, but I don't know. Is there any interest in that?)

A special thank you to my friend Adora for the quick beta work!

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 **The Masked Defender**

* * *

A shot echoed in the night.

Rose froze, her hands clenching at the skirt of her dress as her eyes skittered over to the elderly woman sitting in front of her in the otherwise empty carriage.

"Lord, protect us all," the woman whispered. "They're bandits."

Rose swallowed. She'd heard rumors about how the previously safe road between Gallifrey and London had become overrun by bandits during the mere five years she had been away. She had been hoping that, by declining the ornate carriage her mother had wanted to send and instead by travelling home by post, it would be less likely for her to encounter them.

After all, people worth robbing rarely travelled by post if they could avoid it.

Perhaps she would have been better off in the family coach. At least then, she would have had the advantage of her family's armed footman.

Another shot rang out and the carriage careened to a stop. An instant later, the door was jerked open and a man, half of his face obscured by a neckerchief, waved for them to climb outside with his pistol. "Oho! What do we have 'ere? Welcome to Gallifrey, my dears. Unfortunately I don't think you'll be seein' much of it."

In the corner of her eyes, Rose could see the lifeless body of the couch driver, the reins of the horses still lying loosely in his grip, and she stifled a scream. The other woman was crying outright, whispering prayers with every shuddering breath that she took.

Rose gripped her shivering form in a vain attempt to soothe the woman as she desperately tried to search for a way to escape.

"Anything interesting up there?" the bandit called.

One by one, their previously secure bags came sailing down from the roof of the carriage, spilling open as they went. The gruff reply came a second later, "Nothing of worth!"

"Well, seems like we'll be getting our day's pay in a more creative way."

The other man leaped down, stepping closer before letting an appraising eye scan over both the women. "The blonde should fetch a pretty price."

The first man nodded, his pistol twitching towards the elderly lady. "What about the other one?"

"She's too old to be worth anything. Her, we can keep."

Rose swallowed, shooting the woman another glance. She was fairly certain the both of them would be better of not knowing what either of those fates would entail.

Repositioning her weight from one foot to another, she shifted, trying to ready herself to spring into action, should the opportunity arrive. If it did, there would only be one chance, she was certain – any missteps and her life would be over.

"Check if you missed anything in their bags," the man holding the pistol grunted.

The second bandit leaned down to rummage through their scattered belongings, whistling off tune as he went.

Seeing her chance, Rose sprung forward, leaping at the man still holding the pistol with a yell. The both of them crashed to the ground, their arms and legs tangling together as she scrambled to steal the gun from his grip before he could manage to gather his wits. "Run!" she cried to the other woman, pushing her nails into the man's face.

Pain exploded behind her eyes as he managed to catch her cheek with his clenched fists. She fell backwards towards the ground while her hands, still digging into his face, left red trail marks in their wake.

He roared before climbing onto his feet, gun already aimed at her head. "You'll pay for—!"

A crack sounded, and Rose gasped in surprise as the pistol suddenly flew out of his hand.

The man stared dumbfounded at his now empty hand before his eyes shot upwards. Rose followed his gaze only to catch glance of a lone figure perched in a tree above them, tucking a whip back onto his belt. He was dressed from head to toe in a blue so dark it almost appeared as black in the fading daylight. His eyes, gazing down at them from behind a strip of fabric tied to the back of his head, were bright and intelligent.

"Good evening!" he said, voice cheerful, as though he had simply come across them during a peaceful walk. He leaped down, his cape catching the sunlight as it fluttered behind him.

"YOU!" the bandit cried.

He waved. "Me!" the man replied, grinning. He nodded back to where the second bandit was now lying unconscious and bound. "I'm sorry about your friend – I would have taken you out first, but it seemed to me like the lady had you well in hand."

With a sharp tug, the bandit had his sword out, brandishing its blade in wide strokes towards the man in blue.

An exaggerated sigh left his lips. "Oh, must we?" With a flick of his wrist, he had his sword in his hand. "Well, if you insist." He shrugged. With her heart in her throat, Rose stared in fear as he tossed his sword aside with a wide grin.

The bandit thrust forward just as the other man bounced to the side, his arms out as though he was performing a little dance. The bandit, on the other hand, overbalanced, nearly falling over from the force of his own lunge. He flailed, regaining his footing almost by accident, before springing again.

The man in blue skipped again, this time to his other side, as he gave a little twirl.

"Why can't you just take a hint and die?!"

He clicked his tongue. "And end our fun? Oh, I wouldn't dream of it!" He kicked up his sword, grabbing its hilt in one swift move. "It seems to me like you have troubles hitting an unarmed man. There might be hope for you yet! Would you like to try this whole fencing thing again?"

They traded a few blows, the man dressed in blue mostly on the defense, yet it was becoming increasingly obvious to Rose that the battle was entirely on his terms. His movements were powerful, yet exact, every blow calculated and executed to perfection.

He flicked his blade at the ground, flinging the bandit's discarded gun into the air. A second later he had it in his grip. "This is yours, I believe?" He let the gun fly, hitting the bandit square on the head.

The bandit dropped to the ground with a groan.

For a short instant, relief flooded through her body until she realized that she had no idea what the man who had saved her wanted – for all she knew, he could be the leader of a rival gang of thieves. Body tensing, she stumbled backwards.

"No need to be afraid," the man said, tucking his sword back into its sheath. "I'm only here to help, I promise."

"You could be lying."

Eyes searching the ground, he nodded. "I could, yeah. Good point. But if I'd wanted to hurt you, I could have taken out the both of you while you were fighting each other." He straightened up with a triumphant yell, a length of rope clutched in his hands. A swift kick later, and the both unconscious bandits were lying side by side.

"What are you going to do to them?"

Flashing her a quick smile, he began to tie them together, fingers working the rope into a solid knot. "Well, I'm going to make them into a nice little present for the lancers. I'll even tie a little bow!"

In spite of herself, she could feel a laugh bubbling up from within her.

"Was that a smile?"

"No," she replied, biting her lip.

"That was a smile!" The grin on his face grew into a full-blown beam.

Rose felt her cheeks heat up. Even with part of his face obscured by a mask, she could tell that he was a very handsome man. Hoping to distract him from her reaction, she cleared her throat. "Who are you?"

"People usually call me 'the Doctor'." He tipped his hat in greeting.

A loud snorted interrupted them, and Rose was surprised to see that the bandit which they both had fought had already regained consciousness. "I call you 'a bloody pain in the—'"

"Or that," the Doctor acquiesced, "but out of those two options, I personally prefer 'the Doctor'."

"'The Doctor'?" she repeated.

"That's me, yep! And as for your identity, my dear lady?"

"That ain't no lady!" the bandit growled, the red marks almost disappearing as his face grew bright in anger.

"Oh, you need a lesson in manners," the Doctor tutted, bringing out his sword yet again only to carve a neat little 'D' on the bandit's coat. "To a gentleman, _every_ woman is a lady." He gripped her hand, placing a hasty kiss upon it.

"Rose," she managed, her cheeks flushing yet again. "My name's Rose Tyler."

"Rose Tyler?" He straightened, eyes widening in surprise behind his mask. "Future Dame of the Powell Estates?"

She straightened, tugging an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes. I was hoping to avoid any bandits by going by post."

Another bright grin lit his face. "Clever. Oh, that is clever indeed, my lady!"

She snorted, a sound so unladylike her tutors would have had nightmares for days had they heard it. "I don't know about that – it didn't exactly work out."

"All the same, it was a brilliant plan. You just had a bit of bad luck – could have happened to anyone."

Before she had the chance to reply, the sound of horse hooves echoing through the forest interrupted her.

"Ah," the Doctor said. "That would be the cavalry – late as usual. My cue to take my leave, I believe." He whistled sharply and a dark horse galloped forward its hiding place in the forest. A second later, he had leaped into its saddle, the move so agile and fluid Rose could not help but wonder if he was really human.

"Wait!" Rose cried. "There's another woman, an old lady—"

He tugged at the reins of his horse. "Already taken care of! She's in good hands, don't worry." He smiled, tipping his hat again. "I'll be seeing you."

Rose stared as his dark form disappeared into the green leaves of the woods.

Well, one thing was for sure, her stay in Gallifrey was looking interesting already.

She smiled, her tongue sneaking out to rest on her lip as she did so. "Not if I see you first."

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Fin


End file.
